Pictured is Michael Pavlas, the manager of a Dickinson area body shop, and his family, including his wife Heather Pavlas. Michael Pavlas was shot about six times during a dispute with an employee, but is recovering, Heather Pavlas said.

Wife calls husband's recovery from gunshots miraculous

Pictured is Michael Pavlas, the manager of a Dickinson area body shop, and his family, including his wife Heather Pavlas. Michael Pavlas was shot about six times during a dispute with an employee, but is recovering, Heather Pavlas said.

The wife of the manager at a Dickinson automobile dealership is calling her husband’s recovery from being shot six times a miracle.

“I feel blessed with the way it’s worked out,” Heather Pavlas said. “It’s not good that this would happen at all, but this is not the worst-case scenario by any means.”

At about 11 a.m. Friday, Michael Pavlas, 38, of Alvin, was shot at Gay Family Auto during a dispute with an employee over hours, police said.

Friday was Pavlas’ birthday, according to state driver records.

Pavlas, a father of two, had been a manager at the body shop in the 3000 block of Interstate 45 for about two years and two months, Heather Pavlas said.

Joshua Allen Lee, 29, who was later charged in the incident, was apparently upset about the hours he had been assigned at work and fired multiple shots at Pavlas with a .357-caliber Ruger resolver, Dickinson police Sgt. Tim Cromie said.

“Even the nurses said that they had never see anyone recover from something like this,” Heather Pavlas said.

The bullets missed his spine and all of his arteries and vital organs, Heather Pavlas said.

“To have a gun emptied at you and to miss everything important,” she said. “It’s insane how well he’s doing. He’s still coherent and joking and he’s still himself mentally. It’s amazing.”

Emergency responders transported Michael Pavlas to Clear Lake Regional hospital where he underwent about three surgeries for about seven hours, Heather Pavlas said.

“He has about six bullet wounds,” she said. “All of the shots were in the back of his body, which means it did the most damage to the front of his body. All four quadrants were hit — the arm, shoulder, both sides of his lower back.”

Michael Pavlas was sitting at his desk when he was being shot at and managed to turn to his side before the bullets hit, which saved him from taking the shots to the chest, Heather Pavlas said.

Doctors aren’t yet sure how long Michael Pavlas will remain in the hospital — anywhere from weeks to months — but he already is doing much better than expected, Heather Pavlas said.

“Saturday, he finally woke up, but he was still really groggy, and I was trying to talk to him,” Heather Pavlas said. “And he said, ‘I just knew that I was not ready to leave you yet.’”

Lee was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection to the incident and Friday he was being held in the Galveston County jail on a $90,000 bond, including some bonds for previous warrants, jail records show.

Lee apparently was upset about the hours he had been assigned at work and the men had argued in an office before Pavlas was shot, Cromie said.

(3) comments

Stephanie ,what amount would you set the bail at? Remember what bail is for, it's not for punishment,but to insure that they will be at the trial. . "Bail is money or some form of property that is deposited or pledged to a court, in order to secure the release from custody or jail of a suspect who has been arrested, with the understanding that the suspect will return for their trial and required court appearances".

Bail set for this shooting is about the same as what I found for similar crimes in Texas. One example"Murphy was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility on two charges of Engaging In Organized Criminal Activity-Aggravated Assault with a deadly weapon, with bonds totaling $100,000."One case, the bond was set at $15,000, but most were in the range of $50,00 to $100,000.

At this time Joshua Allen Lee is being charged with a 2nd degree felony .Which carries the following."Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon is typically a 2nd degree felony which means the punishment range is 2 years up to 20 years and up to a $10,000 fine. Because he "Intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causes bodily injury to another by using a deadly weapon", is the reason it is a second-degree felony. "

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